MART329 Consumer Behaviour

Overview

Develops an in-depth study of a number of concepts in consumer behaviour within the context of consumer culture.

About this paper

Prerequisite

Two of (MART 201, MART 202, MART 203) or two of (MART 201, MART 210, MART 211, MART 212)

Schedule C

Commerce

Contact

shelagh.ferguson@otago.ac.nz

More information link

View more information on the Department of Marketing's website

Teaching staff

Dr John Williams

Teaching Arrangements

Every week students must attend one 110-minute lecture and participate in one 50-minute tutorial when scheduled.

Textbooks

Required readings are specified each week on Blackboard.

Course outline

View the course outline for MART 329

Graduate Attributes Emphasised

Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Environmental literacy, Information literacy, Research, Self-motivation, Teamwork.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this paper, you should be able to understand the role that consumption plays in our everyday lives. Thus, the focus is on defining what is meant by the term 'consumer culture' and acknowledging the importance of 'popular culture'. Rather than being studied in their own right, various concepts from consumer behaviour will be applied to aid in developing students' understanding of consumer and popular culture. No definitive 'answers' are provided by the paper; rather, it is exploratory in nature and aims to introduce a range of issues for discussion. It is important, therefore, that students come to class having done some reading on the week's topic and ready to participate in a class discussion. The assessments have been developed to help students further recognise the role consumption plays in their day-to-day lives.

Overall, the emphasis of this paper on consumer behaviour is on the social and cultural implications of consumption and the role of consumer culture and popular culture in contemporary life. By the end of the paper, students should be able to:

• Critically assess the significance of consumer culture
• Debate the strengths and weaknesses of competing perspectives on the role of consumption in contemporary society

Specific skills that will be developed throughout the paper include:

• Critical reasoning and analytical reflection
• Verbal, visual and written communication skills
• Informed and critical responses to academic literature
• The appropriate selection, collection, use and presentation of information

This paper adopts an interactive approach to learning. To facilitate this, students are expected to complete required reading before coming to class as they will form the basis for class discussion.

Timetable